Unbound: The Cursed Trilogy, Book One by Betty Legend (small books to read .txt) 📕

“Look at me, Selene.”

His intelligent, intricate eyes carry more empathy than I was prepared for. I fall into his open arms and accept his comforting hug.

“I know this is hard, but Griffin and I are here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

Pulling back from him reveals the reassurance of his words lingering in his gaze and tight mouth. I’m confused by my emotions and my body’s response to him. How can a man, a warlock I barely know, make me feel so safe?

“Why do you care so much about what happens to me?”

“Because of your lure. It’s powerful, Selene. The magic in me knows it has met its match.”

“Wait.” Pushing my palm against his chest, I put space between us. “What do you mean, your match?”

Cyrus takes several steps closer, but I narrow my eyes at him, and he stops.

“There’s a prophecy of a druid witch who will wield the power to be our equal.”

“Who’s equal?” Taking more steps backward, I work my way toward the door.

“Every firstborn son birthed to an elemental magic. You are our equal. You have the ability to break our curse.”

“I don’t understand.” My eyes widen, my chest tightening with an uncomfortable sensation of being trapped. Cyrus’s expressive eyes plead for me to grasp his words.

“You’re our counterpart. You can unbind each of us. When your magic grows, so will ours.”

My sanity is cracking. This conversation, this room, is suffocating me. Escaping out the door, I hurry to the front entrance. I need air. I need something other than magic, prophecies, and strange men I’m oddly attracted to.

Beneath me, the sand is warm under my quick feet and the sun heats my teary-eyed cheeks. With no direction, I wander along the beach for minutes, and those minutes turn into what seems like hours. I walk and walk until every emotion has worked its way through me. Collapsing on the sand, exhausted, I await the ocean tide to roll in and cover my feet with soothing warm water. When it does, I remove my clothes and step into the water until I’m swimming. The smart thing to do is to go back to New York and forget the handsome men and this beautiful place exists, but Griffin was right. I’ll never forget him or our night together. The memory already has arousal flourishing between my legs.

I was just beginning to like it here, to feel like I belonged before Cyrus had to fill me with fear of demons, a peculiar prophecy, and the look of a man who wants me in his bed. How many sons are there? And how am I supposed to help them become unbound? Have I helped Griffin? Is he somehow unbound from this curse by being around me? Is the magic I’m experiencing here because of our connection?

Every answer I receive leads to more questions. This place is a riddle inside a riddle, and I’m the lost bunny in the maze. That’s how bizarre this all is. I’ve longed for magic my entire life, but prophecies, demons, and Holy Accolades might be more than I can handle. Or maybe I need to go home, take a break, and when my head is clear, come back and learn more. Either way, I need to get out of the water. I’m pruning.

A cool breeze passes as I step out of the water. Rushing to my clothes, I gather them and dress quickly. The sun has dropped in the sky, and it’s probably getting close to dinner time. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and that realization brings a wave of hunger pains. As I saunter back to Griffin’s house, I’m certain something is moving in the trees—a shadowy figure, a form of a man. I can’t make it out, and it’s gone before I can see what or who it was. Griffin’s words trickle through my mind.

Don’t leave my side. You’re vulnerable until you know your magic.

And what did I do? I ran off by myself on an island I’m unfamiliar with and creatures I have yet to understand. He and Cyrus are probably worried. I take my steps more briskly on the way back.

CHAPTER EIGHT

CYRUS

“Stop pacing. It’s exhausting watching you.”

Coming to a stop, I drop into the lounge chair across from Griffin, who’s sipping tea with his tan legs carelessly perched on his coffee table.

“Why aren’t you worried about her?”

“Because she’ll come back. She needs time to breathe and take everything in. You went heavy on the details, don’t you think?”

“She deserved to know the truth.”

“Not all at once.”

“I didn’t tell her everything.”

Griffin’s brows lift, and his ears pull back.

“Thankfully, or she’d probably be trying to swim to the next island to get away from us.”

“I want her,” I nearly growl, my possessiveness startling me. “You’ve already had her in your bed. Look how content you are.”

“Patience, Cyrus. We need to be better men than the others.”

“They’re not men, they’re monsters. She needs to know what to expect.”

“In time.” Griffin settles farther into the couch, his arm casually thrown over the back of his head. “Let’s build our connections with her, then we’ll share the rest of the prophecy. The more time she spends connecting with us, the stronger our bond will be with her.”

A shadowy red essence fills the threshold of the living room just before Emeric plods through it.

“I’m not surprised you motherfuckers are plotting together.”

The beastly scar on Emeric’s cheek pulls tight as he grimaces. Just his presence grates on my every nerve. I don’t understand why Griffin tolerates him and allows him to portal here. I never should have charmed that talisman.

“We’re not plotting. We want our time with her before she has to meet you scoundrels.” Griffin smirks, then uses his essence to drag a chair closer for Emeric. Emeric snickers and drops into the chair, his fiery essence billowing out around him.

“You’ve fucked her already, haven’t you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“I can smell her all over you and the